Forget Me Not Soup
by D-A-I-tarento
Summary: A small bag of cookies, a large pot, and some undercooked stew of a questionable origin lead Yui, our male PC, into a world of culinary tutoring under the unmotivated son of the innkeeper. AWL, slash, RockxPC. Please take a taste, you just might like it!
1. Chapter 1

**title:** Forget-Me-Not Soup

**summary: **A small bag of cookies, a large pot, and some undercooked stew of a questionable origin lead Yui (our male PC) into a world of culinary tutelage under the less than motivated son of the innkeeper. Suspense, drama, romance, and state-of-the-art action! We ask you humbly to join us for the ride, but I suggest keeping some space between yourself and the food. Safety first, you know.

**warnings: **slash (Rock/PC) possible lime in later chapters (if they ever get here), and of course our friend/enemy/rival random OOCness (well, we hope not, but he might've squeezed himself in..)

**author's notes:** This is the first of 3 eventual chapters (hopefully;; ) D-A-I-tarento is a collab. account, so this is Ichigo (genkicherry)'s chapter (hence I'm writing the summary, and notes too! XD) The second will be Dralora's if she ever gets writing it, and the third will be Abbess's if she still remembers this fic by the time Dralora's done. ; I hope you all don't actually like it enough to want a quick continuation, but if you do, help me bug 'lora XP. Oh, and blame the girly name on 'Bess XD Well... uh.. happy reading?

**edit note:** (06/20/06) "'Bess" here, just a bit of editing to fix the uh.. Yui-knowing-Rock's-mother problem. Yeah. XD; Thanks for pointing that out, Authorsama277!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

He had only been in Forget-me-not Valley a few days, and Yui was already wishing he could forget it. The sun was setting again - another hard day's work finished. But this kind of work really wasn't ever finished. The very recollection of this frustrated him no end, and he was glad for the distraction when out of the corner of his eye he glimpsed someone coming back from the Goddess's Glade up hill.

His newly inherited farm was scenically situated with a perfect view of the river the path to the glade followed, and when he had some of that precious extra time near dusk, he had taken to watching as people who had more free-time-inclined professions came back from their evening walks in the glade.

The boy Yui had noticed was taking his time meandering back down the hill. And for the life of him, Yui couldn't remember the boy's name. They'd just been introduced 3 days ago, and Yui couldn't forget the boy's endearing, honest smile. Ooohh.. what was his name? ... Romi? No, that was more of a girl's name. Then again, Yui's name was even more girly than Romi. It'd given him quite a bit of trouble in grade-school. It wasn't his fault his parents had wanted a girl!

'I hope that's not why they've sent me out here,' he thought grudgingly. Ugh, why'd there have to be so many weeds and rocks in this soil! ... Wait a minute... wasn't that the boy's name? Rock, that was it. Actually... a rather hard, dull-coloured hunk of sediment was an even stranger thing to be named after, than after a dead aunt like Yui had been. He laughed. Rock might be a good friend if Yui put out the effort.

"What'cha laughin' about?"

Yui's thought train promptly derailed, as he looked up to see Sepiria's bandana-clad head bobbing back and forth right in his face.

"IIYAHH!" he faltered, nearly falling backwards.

"Gomen! I didn't mean to startle you so much!" she quickly apologized as she managed somehow to continue smiling and show utmost concern simultaneously.

"It's okay, I just surprise easy," Yui admitted "So what was it you wanted?"

"Oh, I just brought you an uh... farm-warming gift! Here!" She continued smiling as she shoved a cutely patterned little bag tied with a ribbon into his arms. Then her smile got impossibly brighter, and she bowed and turned and left. Yui simply stood there a few minutes holding the present before he remembered to yell out a hasty "Arigatou!"

'Well that was weird,' he thought, looking down at the bag. It felt suspiciously crumbly. 'Please don't let it be more cookies,' he thought in vain. Muumuu had already come by the day before with her "farm-warming gift": another adorably decorated bag of homemade cookies. He'd been honestly gracious, as food was hard to come by when you'd accidentally spent all your funds on some overpriced chicken-feed, and he was so sick of mugwart. His excitement died, however, after he took the first bite. An indescribable sick feeling had welled up from the pit of his stomach, and he was sure he'd turned some shade of green. What the hell did she put in that dough? He could only hope Sepiria was a better cook.

He looked up again, but Rock was nowhere in sight, and the lights had come on. He sighed and trudged inside, where he set down the cookies. Staring at them hesitantly, he reached out his hand, and slowly picked one up. He looked it up and down, searching for some sign it might not be entirely safe to eat, and when satisfied, popped it in his mouth. It was surprisingly good. He would've eaten another, had he not caught sight of the clock and thought it better to save them for breakfast, and go to sleep now.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

After eating two of the cookies for breakfast, Yui decided to save the remaining seven for an outdoors lunch after wandering about the town a while. He'd just harvested the crops, and could have most of the day off, so he was in a very good mood. After milking the cow and collecting eggs, he set off toward the inn. He wanted to discuss some possible recipes with the innkeeper's wife. He'd been told she was the best cook in town, and he wanted to start having regular meals as soon as possible. The door was unlocked, as is usual for a business, but no one was inside. Of course it wouldn't be necessary to have 24-hour service in a small town like this, still, Yui couldn't help but feel disappointed. Until he heard whistling from the kitchen. Before the consequences of breaking and entering could cross his mind, he was standing in the kitchen, facing a cheerful blond boy who had the amazing capability of smiling impossibly wide and whistling at the same time.

However, as soon as the boy, who Yui was finally able to recognize as Rock, noticed his presence, his demeanor totally changed, and he stared right through Yui, coldly stating "I'm eating right now. Could you please leave?" Whether out of spite, or because of something completely unknown to himself, Yui was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to stay and eat with this Rock person.

"Can't I stay and have lunch with you? I'm waiting for the innkeeper's wife... And... I have cookies? Would you like some?" At this, Rock's mood did another 180.

"Did you say cookies!" He practically yelled. Before Yui even managed to recover from shock, Rock snatched the cookie bag from his hands, hastily tore it open, and started eating.

"Oi! What did you--"

"These are REALLY good! Did you make them?" He'd already sat, and was making quick work of the cookies.

"Umm... no, actually, Sepiria did." with this, Yui decided to follow Rock's example and sit at the huge table.

"Sepiria?" Rock managed between bites. How'chu ged 'em?"

Although rather put off by the sight of half-chewed cookie in Rock's mouth, Yui decided not to mention it, as Rock seemed rather unstable where food was concerned. "Well.. actually, she came to my house and gave them to me yesterday." Thinking of it, the girls in this town were unusually giving.

"You should watch out for her, she's always on the lookout for a new potential husband."

'Ah, that explains it,' Yui realized. 'They must be very desperate for someone who actually works for a living.' He glanced at the boy across from him, suddenly realizing he had no idea what the heck the blond actually did.

Rock was nearing the last cookie, and as he did so, he slowed his ravenous appetite, and in a wave of politeness, offered it to Yui.

"No, it's okay, you can have it, you do seem really hungry and all..." What was he thinking! He had no other lunch prepared, and he was already getting hungry. Shrugging, Rock had just gotten the cookie up to his mouth, when a painstakingly long "GUUU!" escaped Yui's stomach.

"Umm... perhaps you should eat this after all." Rock laughed as he reached across the table and handed Yui the cookie. However, he could only nibble at it as he diverted all his energy in a futile attempt to stop blushing. Rock only laughed harder, causing Yui to blush an even deeper red. Seemingly noticing for the first time that he'd managed to devour the boy's entire lunch in only a few minutes, Rock got up and began to fix Yui a proper meal.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Yui asked as he finished the cookie.

"I'm fixing you lunch," Rock stated matter-of-factly.

Confused, Yui did the first thing that came to mind, protest. "You don't have to do that! I-"

"GUUUU!"

"Don't try and discourage me, you already watched my love of cookies decimate your entire lunch, didn't you?"

"Well..."

"You don't have to be so polite with me, I'm a free spirit."

He turned back around with a fairly large bowl of soup, and set it in front of Yui. It was rather murky, and Yui could feel his uncertainty rise with every green, leafy vegetable that bubbled up from the dark brown water.

"Don't worry, it's good! I learned from my mother. Go on, try it." Not wanting to be any more impolite, despite Rock's nice comment, Yui hesitantly lifted the spoon Rock had set next to the bowl of soup-y substance, and after dipping it in the intimidating concoction, raised it to his mouth and shoved it in.

Rock was now behind him, looking over his shoulder. "How is it?" he asked anxiously, smiling brightly all the while. It'd been quite some time since he'd cooked for anyone but himself.

"It's... actually quite nice." Yui was truly surprised. Rock didn't seem the type to be a very good cook. "You say you learned from your mother?"

"Yep! She's the best cook in town!" Rock pridefully declared.

"You mean the innkeeper's wife is your mother!"

"Of course! Well... we don't look much alike, but she is my mother, and she's taught me all I know about cooking." Rock smiled happily. His smile never faltered once. It was the most honest and beautiful smile Yui had ever seen. It spoke of nothing but the goodness in the world, as if nothing bad had ever happened to the boy. Yui couldn't help but wonder how such a person could exist, even in such a peaceful town as this.

Yui ate some more soup, before joining Rock in smiling, and deciding this was going to be a good day after all. "Then you can help me!" he cheerfully declared.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

**chapter one owari**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hey peeps, Lora here! I actually wrote my part! (and it's short, yaaay!) Abbess is next on the que! (she'll be quicker about it than I was, that's for sure)

**EDIT: **(06/26/06) Abbess here. Edited this to fix Yui's age. XD;

----

"Help you?"

Unfazed at his response, Yui gave a timid smile and nodded excitedly.

"Could you help me cook? I was looking for your mother but… It seems she's not in. It doesn't look like you have much to do -- you could help me, right?"

In the sheltered abode of Forget-Me-Not Valley, it was no secret that Rock spent a great portion of his time neglecting to be useful in any way, shape, or form. His parents, the Innkeepers, never batted an eye at his laid-back way of life.

So when the very notion of "help" sprung forward, the party boy was caught totally off-guard.

"…Why not?"

Yui turned to gaze around the kitchen as Rock gestured towards the various cooking utensils (many of which appeared quite alien to his new student).

"But, believe it or not, it takes a lot of work. You have to know what all of these do, what they're used for, what specific purposes they're-"

Rock paused, sensing that Yui had left his side. He turned to see him fingering a steak knife curiously.

"What's this thing for? Slicing lettuce? I think I could do that!"

He gripped the handle and tested the blade, running it in a straight line down the chopping board and leaving only a thin slice in the wood. This intrigued him for a short time until an outrageously large cooking pot in the corner seized his attention.

"Looks like you could still use some help," the blond commented wryly. "Tell ya what - It's Friday evening and I have no date. We could get started right now, if ya feel like it."

Yui stuck his head into the huge pot, peering inside like the curious cat. "That sounds great. But I feel a little weird -- you know, being eighteen years old, out on my own, and enrolling in a cooking class."

"Well, you're an eligible bachelor - and here in the valley, with the local girls on your tail, you probably won't be for long." Rock sighed with a small smile. "You need to learn how to cook. Trust me - It wins them over as well as any poetry ever could."

Yui forced a laugh, but it suddenly gave way to a frightening train of thought. Marriage? He wasn't ready for marriage! The notion scared him, so he tried to dismiss it.

"So… where do we start?" He asked, tentatively bringing his head out of the pot.

"Right where that head of yours used to be."

Rock laughed, wiping his hands on a dish towel and gazing absentmindedly at his new student. Yui was nursing a finger wound; on the table in front of him was the knife he was just using.

"If I had known cooking would be so painful, I would've just married a girl who could do it and be done with the whole thing," Yui lamented pathetically, rinsing his injury in the sink. He didn't mean those words; just ten minutes ago he had frightened himself with the thought of marriage.

"Sepiria lives just 'cross the river from your farm," Rock noted, taking up the offending knife and expertly slicing the rest of the tomato. "In fact, just today I saw her leaving your place. Is there something going on 'tween you two that I should know about?"

"Huh?" Yui glanced up from the sink, eyes wide. "…First off, I just got here. Secondly, you wouldn't need to know."

Taking the dish towel from Rock, he dried his fingers and picked up the tomato slices, dumping them into the pot.

"What's this we're making again?" he questioned for the third time.

"Well, we have slices of tomato, and a cooking pot full o' water," Rock rolled his eyes, smiling in that same delightful way… "I wonder."

"…Tomato soup."

"Duh."

Yui felt his cheeks grow hot -- from embarrassment, he figured. Following Rock's instructions, he turned a few dials on the oven and the water started to boil.

"So… now we just wait for it to be done cooking, right?" he asked, leaning back on the counter and feeling accomplished.

"…Not quite, newbie," the teacher teased, digging through a cabinet above his blonde head. "How d'you think my mom got famous for her cooking? A regular tomato soup like we've got there is child's play, man."

He took out a jar and stood it on the counter, and Yui picked it up (only to engage in a violent struggle with the lid). Handing it over to his mentor sheepishly, he watched as Rock tossed pinches of the spices within into the soup, then watched as the blond stirred it around with the wooden ladle that had been lying on the tabletop.

Yui gazed at the cauldron. It was bubbling and sputtering hot droplets into the air. "Now we wait?"

"Now we put the lid on the pot so the hot water spurting out of it doesn't burn our skin."

Rock was already taking his own advice. The cauldron began to whine lamely.

"Hope it tastes better than it sounds," Yui commented before he could help himself.

--------------------

chapter two END!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes:** Guess who! … I didn't really expect you to know. 'Tis Abbess, a.k.a. The Shiny One, at your service. Well, actually, no – I'm not at anybody's service. I actually spend most of time slaving over homework assigned by the many teachers of mine. The rest of my time tends to 'accidentally' devote itself to playing Harvest Moon… -coughs- (I don't own AWL, though. So OOCness is entirely to blame on that.)

This chapter is approximately 11 pages (on my word processor, atleast). I do hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! The next chapter is to be done by Chiggy (yes, this was supposed to be a trilogy, but Chiggy and I decided to extend it later…).

-coughs-

Well, thankyou for reading this rather long author's note (if you even did), and **please review**! We absolutely adore reviews, and I will most seriously cuddle each one like a precious puppy (providing it's not a flame – flames are used for Rock's cooking lessons, where they will be brutally tortured). And uh, I'll shut up now. –waves-

**EDIT:** Now corrected for proper Rock-like dialogue! Woot! (Thank-you, Chiggy. XD For pointing it out)

* * *

Yui arrived at the Inn bright and early next morning, feeling pleased at his accomplishment from yesterday -- the tomato soup had turned out surprisingly well, and not like a tasteless mass of gooey red paste.

Opening the door with a cheerful smile, he all but bounced in.

Tim glanced up from the strangely-marked vase he was inspecting.

"Good morning, Yui! Did something good happen?"

Yui patted his stomach.

"For once, I ate something other than mugwort for dinner. It feels wonderful!"

Tim nodded, glancing to the kitchens.

"Ruby's a wonderful cook! Never going to get someone better, you know. Her meals are not only delicious, but very satisfying," Tim commented, a large smile on his broad face.

Nodding very enthusiastically, Yui slowly edged to the kitchen as the man continued talking about his wife's cooking.

"...and while we were in Italy, she was renowned for.."

Tim stopped, looking at Yui.

"I didn't mean to babble," Tim apologized, "Are you looking for Ruby?"

"Um..it's okay," Yui fumbled, shaking his head slightly, "...Rock, actually."

Tim raised one thick black eyebrow.

"Rock?"

Yui nodded.

"Didn't know you were friends with him. Glad to hear that, though!" Tim commented, "His room's upstairs, to the left."

Flashing the older man a grateful smile, Yui quickly ascended the polished wooden stairs. Reaching the top in a matter of seconds, he awkwardly stood in front of the door that presumably led to Rock's room.

Visiting people wasn't something he did often -- he was usually too busy taking care of the farm and running errands to socialize.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked, alarmed at how loud it sounded in comparison to the previous silence, which had been interrupted only by the occasional tweeting of birds.

Yui waited.

And waited.

Six minutes later (and Yui had kept track -- his watch had gone from 9:03 to 9:09), there was still no sign of Rock.

Anxiously adjusting his rucksack, Yui knocked again. This time, a few thumps were heard. After a moment of silence, there were more thumps, and the door opened.

Yui found himself facing a sleepy, mildly annoyed Rock, clad in nothing but boxers. His normally-straight blond hair was rather shuffled, and it didn't help at all when he reached up and absent-mindedly rubbed the back of his head.

"What do you want?" Rock snapped.

Still staring -- with his face progressively becoming redder -- Yui took a moment to respond.

"Anou.. you said you'd teach me to cook again today..," he mumbled, averting his eyes to the well-varnished floor.

There was a silence, and then a large sigh.

"Wait for me in the kitchen."

* * *

"Is this fine?"

Yui glanced at Rock, waiting for him to confirm if he had chopped the yams correctly. Rock glanced at the pieces on the cutting board, and nodded. Yui turned back to where the large steel pot was boiling, trying his best to concentrate on the soup and ignore how guilty he felt for waking Rock up.

Rock stifled a yawn from where he sat at the table. Head propped up by his arms, he watched the meek boy shuffle about.

The blond's initial annoyance had been replaced by mild fascination. This, he recalled, was the first time he had watched somebody other than his mother cook. And he had to admit, he'd never thought cooking dangerous until he watched Yui.

During the period of a mere ten minutes, the brown-haired boy had managed to cut several fingers multiple times, burn a hand on the pot, and bruise himself by crashing into the corner of the table.

Rock closed his eyes, a small smile gracing his lips. If he wasn't so lacking in rest, he would find this almost _endearing_. Endearing. That wasn't a word he used often. He found things comical, awesome, "a blast," or boring.

But this was endearing.

And he was tired.

Burying his head into his arms, he slouched over the table, eyes shut. Taking a deep breath (and promptly releasing it in a large sigh), he relaxed his body.

The next second, he smelled smoke.

He sat up, a small wave of panic coursing through him. A glance at the stove told him all he needed to know -- Yui was floundering and trying to put out the fire by hitting it (and Rock was utterly confused at to why the boy thought THAT was a good idea), and most importantly:

Rock's precious cooking towel was burning to ashes.

He raced over to the towel, grabbing it and tossing it into the handy nearby sink. Heart racing, Rock turned the faucet on, letting the cool water put out the flames. Assured that his towel was no longer burning, he turned to Yui, who had managed to quell the flames on the yams.

The boy looked fine for the most part, thankfully. He looked at Rock hesistantly.

"I'm sorry. I always seem to cause trouble."

Rock glanced back at his towel.

"You did totally burn my favourite towel."

Yui followed Rock's gaze.

"I'm really sorry," he sighed, looking even more upset with himself. Rock was silent for a moment, then gently pushed Yui aside to clean up the stove.

Only two minutes later, Rock was once again sitting at the table, sleepily watching Yui once again attempt to cook a yam soup.

Minutes passed, and Rock felt himself dozing off...

* * *

"Finished!" Yui exclaimed, bursting with accomplishment. In front of him was a pot of finished yam soup, that he hoped tasted as pleasant as it smelled.

Ladling some into a simple bowl that Rock had put on the counter, he turned around to set it on the table.

The blond was asleep, slumped over the smooth wood.

Yui watched, unsure of whether he should wake the boy up, or just let him be. He looked rather content, after all.. And it seemed that by Rock's standards, Yui had woken him up far too early.

Eventually deciding to leave Rock undisturbed, Yui managed to find some scrap paper and a pen with which to write Rock a small note. After placing it only a few inches from the sleeping boy's head, Yui realized that the soup would be cold by the time Rock would be awake to eat it.

Well, he'd have to eat it himself, then.

Sitting down in front of Rock, he dipped a simple silver spoon into the brown mixture. Taking a deep breath, closing his eyes, and mentally preparing himself, Yui bravely popped it into his mouth.

"Is it really that scary?"

Yui opened his eyes to see Rock staring at him. The blond glanced back towards the note, and Yui had just opened his mouth to apologize when Rock spoke.

"Don't worry, man. I know I don't sleep at the same times as normal people."

Fidgeting with his spoon, Yui shook his head.

"No, I should've asked you yesterday," he insisted.

"Don't worry," Rock repeated somewhat wearily. He paused, looking at his nails -- unusually clean and well-taken care of -- for a moment.

"Please come after 2pm next time," he added. Yui nodded vigorously.

"Of course! I'm really sorry for today..."

"It's okay. Really. But now, I'm going to go have a nap, so like, finish eating and clean up and whatnot," Rock sighed. Standing up, he flashed a smile back at Yui from the doorway.

"'Night."

* * *

Yui had a mission.

A mission of the utmost importance -- to himself, atleast. What was this great mission?

To find Rock a brand-new towel!

Yui woke up earlier than usual this morning, planning to finish his chores early so he could have time to meet Van before most other people started coming outside.

Coming up the dirt road, Yui applauded his brilliant timing -- Van was just starting to set up shop. The rather plump man didn't notice Yui's approach until the young boy was standing right in front of the stacked-box "counter."

"Good morning, Yui," greeted Van, "Is there anything you wish to buy?"

Yui nodded, tufts of hair bouncing up and down.

"I was interested in ordering a towel, actually..."

Van blinked, stroking his bushy black mustache. After turning to a box and digging through it, he turned back to Yui.

"I don't have any towels, I'm afraid. Not a very popular product, you see."

Yui felt his heart sink. No towels? How would he get one for Rock?

"However," Van continued, "The Sprites might have some. You never know what they might have..."

Brightening, Yui said his thanks and rushed down the road, lost in thought.

He apruptly crashed into a thin figure.

"Watch where you're going!"

Opening his eyes, he found himself seated on the ground in front of an extremely irked Nami. Glaring at him, she stood, dusted herself off, and promptly muttered something about not knowing why she stayed in the village 'with such idiots.'

Watching her walk away, Yui found himself almost immediately comparing her to Rock: while Rock was occasionally hostile, he wasn't rude, and his comments made Yui feel guilty instead of angry.

Standing with a sigh, Yui continued up the road.

It was far too pleasant of a morning to be upset, after all -- the dim shade of abundant trees; the distant splashes of overly-eager fish; the heavy, nectareous scent of Goddess Drops. Pausing to listen to the dulcet songs of nearby birds, Yui felt himself slowly drifting into a dangerously soporific state of being.

Yawning, he shook his head lightly to clear his mind, and followed a smaller path back into his farm. There were some late-morning chores to do, still...

* * *

By four o'clock, Yui had finally finished tending to his farm for the day. Feeling drained, he made his way along the road, up to the Goddess Glade. There was still one errand to do, after all -- visit the Sprites.

The overly-perfumed smell of Goddess Drops was really starting to get to him, and the birds were becoming nuisances rather than treasures.

Preoccupied with quietly grumbling to himself, it was a wonder that he noticed Rock in the glade. The blond boy was sprawled on the ground, cheerfully observing a cream-coloured flower.

Glancing up, his eyes met Yui's, and Yui soon found himself seated on soft grass beside the other boy. The seemingly-plain flower was in front of them, still in the late spring warmth.

"I love Toy flowers," Rock explained with a smile, "And 'cause they only grow in the spring, I spend most of my time here, looking at them and stuff."

Yui nodded, a tad uninterested. After all -- it was simply an ordinary flower, in his eyes; the afternoon sun was comfortable and warm; and he was exhausted.

Seeing Yui's disinterest, Rock picked the flower, bringing it to Yui's nose.

"Smell it," the blond commanded. The order was unnecessary -- the faint smell of soap made itself known as soon as the flower came near. Rock leaned in, his shoulder brushing Yui's.

"I love the smell of soap," Rock confessed. Yui nodded slightly, distracted by a soft, warm feeling spreading through him.

A small yawn escaped him.

"Am I that boring?"

Yui turned his head to face Rock. The boy had a cold air now, his warm eyes turned to ice. Yui shook his head emphatically, seized by worry -- why was he upsetting everybody today?

"I'm just tired from chores," he rushed, face running through a series of worried expressions, "The flower is nice, I had never seen it before, and it has a comforting feel to it."

Immediately softened, Rock leaned in again, staring at Yui's face.

"Are ya sure you should be working so hard?" the sunshine-haired boy asked.

Yui averted his eyes, growing nervous at Rock's close proximity.

"Well, it's what I was told to do... And well, what else would I do?"

"Being told to do something doesn't mean ya have to do it, y'know," Rock commented, his breath lightly fluttering against Yui's skin, "And ya could always become a free-spirit like me."

Yui looked to the flower in Rock's hand. He could give up on the farm, he knew. But it would mean, in a sense, betraying his father's dreams... and disappointing Takakura. Yui was not much for disappointing people.

Rock, too, looked to the flower gently held in his hand.

"You should come to one of my late-night parties sometime, man! It might change your mind!"

"Late night?" Yui repeated, staring at Rock, "So is that why you're always sleeping in so late?"

Rock laughed lightly.

"Yeah, maybe. It's all part of being a free spirit!"

Yui hesitated, dwelling on the feeling of guilt that had lingered from the other day.

"I'm sorry for waking you that time," he apologized once again, hanging his head, "You don't have to keep teaching me if you don't want to. I'd understand; I caused so much trouble and--"

Rock had lightly smacked Yui's shoulder, nearly stunning the boy.

"Don't apologize," Rock commanded, looking mildly frustrated, "I don't mind teaching ya. It's something I've never done before, so like… it's kind of fun."

Gently placing the flower into Yui's hands, Rock stood up and dusted himself off.

"I'm goin', then. See ya tomorrow after lunch for lessons, 'kay?"

With a bright smile, Rock was gone. Yui took a moment to collect himself and stand up.

A bite of the mushroom, and he was soon walking through the door to the Sprites' home.

* * *

The Sprites couldn't help him. They had no extra towels, they said, and had no way of obtaining them. Apologizing, they eventually ushered Yui out of their home.

Yui gave a dejected sigh. How would he find a towel for Rock with such rotten luck?

Stumbling down the road, he rubbed his temple, wondering how he'd manage to continue searching in his current condition.

"Yuiii!"

He glanced up to see Sepira waving enthusiastically from behind the wooden fence of Vespa's farm. Yui managed a weak smile as he approached.

"Hello, Sepira."

She peered at him with grey eyes, looking worried.

"Is anything bothering you, Yui?"

Yui blinked at her for a moment.

"Well... I'm looking to buy a towel, but nobody seems to have one," he explained with sigh.

"A towel...?"

Yui nodded in confirmation, and Sepira brightened, motioning for him to wait as she skipped back to her home.

Several minutes later, she came back holding a strawberry-patterned towel.

"This is the only new towel I have, I'm sorry. But I hope it helps!"

Handing it to Yui, she beamed. It wasn't an ugly pattern, Yui had to admit. Thanking Sepira, he barely managed to escape being invited for dinner, as well.

Now, he could finally sleep...

* * *

By three o'clock, Yui had carefully tied the rolled-up towel with a ribbon, and picked several Toy flowers (remembering his encounter with Rock the day before). Straightening his shirt, he set out to the Inn.

In ten minutes, he was in front of the door to the Inn. In another five, he found himself entering the kitchen, only after having properly greeted Tim.

A pleasant, homely smell greeted him. Rock glanced at Yui from where he sat at the table, a steaming bowl of red stew in front of him. Rock's frown softened just slightly upon seeing the boy.

Yui shifted awkwardly, adjusting the flowers behind his back.

"Did I come too early...?"

"Obviously," the blond muttered, pushing his bangs to the side. After a moment of silence, he motioned to the seat beside him.

"Sit."

Yui obliged, careful to avoid showing Rock what he had brought. The blond was still silent, aimlessly stirring the soup with his spoon.

Yui shuffled nervously, accidentally brushing knees with Rock. The blond stiffened, and Yui hastily apologized.

There was a nervous silence.

"I have trouble eating with others around."

"I'm sorry," Yui apologized automatically. He heard the boy beside him give a light snort.

"It's not your problem, is it?" Rock commented, hesitantly spooning a bit of soup into his mouth.

"It is," Yui insisted, "because I'm preventing you from eating your lunch. If I wasn't here, you wouldn't have a problem eating!"

"If ya were botherin' me that much, do ya really think I'd tell ya to sit by me?" Rock asked wryly.

It was a valid point, Yui agreed. But why was Rock telling him about having trouble eating...?

"I don't mind ya so much as the others," Rock confessed. Yui blinked, unsure of what to say.

"Most of the villagers dislike me," the blond continued, frown deepening, "'Cause I don't like work, have no money of my own, and lack any interest in doing something they think's good..."

"Something they think is good...?" Yui echoed.

"Like.. marriage," the blond muttered, grimacing. Yui shuddered. Marriage was _not_ at the top of his priority list. Rather, it was omitted altogether...

"But you're the same age as me, aren't you?" asked Yui, "There's plenty of time for you to avoid the issue..."

Rock raised an eyebrow, turning to the other boy.

"How old are ya?"

"Eighteen."

The blond turned back to his soup, carefully taking another sip from his spoon.

"I'm twenty-two."

"Ohh..," Yui mumbled, at a loss for words. Rock hadn't seem that much older than him... Then again, the difference was a mere four years. Nothing big, really.

A silence followed, broken only by the sound of Rock finishing his soup.

After the boy was done clearing the table, he turned back to Yui with a smile.

"So, let's try somethin' else today."

Yui fumbled with the package and flowers behind him for a moment.

"Actually," he began anxiously, "I.. have something for you."

Curiously peering at Yui, Rock wiped his hands on a cheap, plain white towel. Still holding the flowers behind his band, Yui presented the neatly-tied bundle to the older boy.

"It's a new towel," explained Yui, nervously shuffling his feet. Rock merely took the package, untying it within a matter of seconds, and unrolled the towels. His face brightened, and as he had just opened his mouth to speak when Yui presented the flowers.

A second later, the younger boy found himself enveloped by warm arms in a crushing hug. Awkwardly pushed against the table, Yui tried to squirm into a more breathing-friendly position. Rock's hold quickly loosened into a light embrace, yet the older boy didn't step away.

He seemed to be sniffing Yui's hair, as a matter of fact. Mumbling something, Rock rested his head on Yui's shoulder. A minute later, as Rock finally pulled away enough to smile at Yui as he talked, the younger boy found himself longing for the warmth again.

"Thank ya," Rock said softly, "Nobody's ever, like, brought me flowers."

Yui could only smile back at the boy.

Rock beamed a second longer, and then turned back to the stove, placing the flowers in a handy glass vase.

**

* * *

**

Several minutes later, a tomato and melon lay on the counter in front of Yui, who nervously looked at the sharp knife in his hand.

"So I'm supposed to.. chop the melon?" he asked, gulping. Rock nodded, looking confident in Yui's abilities.

"It's easy, man. Just do it like I told you!"

Yui hesistated, but held the melon in place as he readied the knife. Then, slowly, he pushed the knife against the thick skin of the melon. Only when he applied more pressure -- desperately praying he wouldn't accidentally chop off a finger -- did the knife puncture the skin. A few agonizing seconds later, two halves of a melon lay in front of him.

Rock nodded in approval.

Yui managed to slice each of the halves into several crescent-shaped slices before he stopped to look at Rock sheepishly.

"Anou... what do I do after this?"

Walking over to the counter, the older boy took the knife from Yui, and picked up a slice in one hand. Carefully, he cut the skin from the edible fruit, and proceeded to chop it into small chunks, which he dumped into a handy bowl.

Rock handed the knife to Yui, and stepped back to watch, an easy smile on his face.

Taking a deep breath, Yui began skinning the melon slices...

* * *

It was a splendid morning.

Yui recieved a maximum of three hours of sleep. While trying to cook a simple breakfast, he not only burned his meal, but his hand.

After filling his stomach with soot, he went to feed his cow, only to discover that she was angry at him -- Goddess knows why. His tomato plants had mysteriously withered, and the orange tree still hadn't sprouted. And to top it off -- he caught Murrey raiding his freezer.

By the time Yui finally started his daily walk, he was damnably frustrated. So of course, it's understandable that his greeting to Sepira was far from polite.

The girl blinked, alarmed, for a moment, smiling weakly and returning to what she was doing. Yui thanked the heavens that she did not pursue further conversation.

He made his way down the gently sloping hill, arriving at the beach in a matter of minutes. Sitting down just out of reach of the tide, he heaved a loud, dramatic sigh.

It was inevitable to have atleast one absolutely downright horrible day, Yui reasoned. But it would be far more logical to split up all the bad things and have only one per day. On the other hand... perhaps that would erase all chances of having a wonderful day, since every day could only be mediocre, at best.

"What a pointless mental debate," Yui grumbled to himself. He was here to relax, not confuse himself.

Laying back on the sand, he sighed again, and closed his eyes to the nearly-blinding sun.

The wind was slightly chilly -- it was still spring, after all, and he was by the sea -- but atleast there was no heavy, far-too-sweet aroma of Goddess Drops.

A smile graced his lips.

Atleast _something_ was starting to get better.


	4. Chapter 4

**author's notes:** It's my (Ichigo's) turn again! Sorry it's been so long XD; this is entirely to blame on me and my lame writer's block. (I can't keep up comedy to save my life). So here is my rather miniscule continuation...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yui groggily sat up, head itchy with sand. "Huh? Wha?" he mumbled through a haze of sleep-induced confusion.

"Sorry for disturbing you, man. As you can see, it's kinda late, and I thought maybe you accidentally fe-"

"AGH---!" Yui sat up abruptly, sand falling from all over his person. "Thanks so much for waking me up! She'll be SO upset at meeee..." Yui hastily stood and started off in the direction of his farm. Rock's friendly expression strained somewhat.

"She...? Got yerself a date, did ya? Congrats." The words didn't quite match the awkward smile on Rock's lips, however.

"No, no, silly, my COW. She was angry this morning too, and now I've gone and forgotten to feed her dinner! Today's been just horrible." Yui turned and was about to leave for a second time, when Rock caught his sleeve. His expression had become a tad more friendly since Yui's clarification.

"Come back when ya finish. I've got just the thing to cheer you up."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The door was only open a crack, but Yui could already feel the tense atmosphere of the old barn as the first few fibers of his worn t-shirt crossed intrusively into the territory of his only cow, Maybelle. The bovine's cold glare penetrated his being, and once inside filled him with a compelling urge to load her troth with fine quality hay, brush her fur lovingly, and then bow in thankfulness.

As Yui was a very orderly person, he decided to begin with the first task. He loaded the hay with care into his arms from the troublesome bin in the corner, and began the long trek across the barn. As Yui neared her troth, the cow's gaze followed him contemptuously, a gesture made all the more menacing by her temperamental chewing movements which grew steadily louder as the food grew nearer.

Yui, distracted by his cow's worrisome staring, and still a bit hazy from his earlier nap then decided that the worst possible outcome in this situation would be to trip on a rock and fall flat on his face, spilling the hay hopelessly all over the dirty floor.

The very moment this occurred to him, the cow bellowed loudly, causing him to stumble on a small, otherwise insignificant stone.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yui trudged out of the barn, exhausted, and covered with tiny bits of hay. If he kept that cow much longer, he could work in a three-ring circus and not feel tried in the least. He perked up quickly, however, when he heard faint whistling.

"Who's there?" Yui ventured, turning his head nervously and pulling a few pieces of cow feed out of his hair.

"Whoa, don't worry, man! It's only me." Rock laughed as he waved his hands in a calming motion, much to Yui's relief. "That took forever! What happened to ya in there?"

Yui chose, from a mix of embarassment and curiousity, to ignore that comment. "Why did you come all the way here?"

"You were takin' so long, and I kinda got bored. Then I thought, 'you know, I'm passin' by your house ALL THE TIME, but I've never even been in it!' So I just walked on over. Nice place. A little run down, but I like the nature aspect. Very... cool."

"...Ah."

"So are we going?" Rock smiled so wide, Yui couldn't possibly refuse. He'd already nodded and started down the path to town before he realized he had no idea what on earth he'd agreed to.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The calm waves flicked against the rocks, fresher in the chilly night air. A pounding backbeat echoed from a stereo across the sand. Yui, unused to the muffling noise, became a little hesitant.

"What is this place, anyway?"

"I told you, man. It's a party!" Rock sounded happy, but not without a tone of softened scorn. Such a scene was clearly basic in the boy's mind.

"Sorry..." Yui sped up, shaking off his doubts, trying to look eager. "I had no idea there was this kind of thing on the beach at night! And it started so quickly…"

"Only on Saturdays..." Rock replied, a little amazed at Yui's utter lack of cultural awareness.

Wandering around, somewhere between amazement and worry, Yui observed a scene he had never before thought he would encounter. Drunks lay about on the sand, bottles still in their hands, but they were all smiling. Heavy music poisoned the air, but the people breathed it in and became part of it, and were happy!

"What a strange group..." As soon as the words slipped out, Yui, unable to shove them back in, turned around to make sure he had not offended his companion. However, there was never any chance of this, as he had already disappeared.

"Rock?" Despite not wanting to seem clingy, the yell had already forced it's way out.

"Over here!" Unfailingly continuing to smile, Rock had a beer in one hand, and waved for Yui to join him with the other.

Though apprehensively, Yui obliged. From deep within his naive soul, however, he sent out a prayer that his hesitance would be proved unnecessary with a friendly expression from the whole group and a kindergarten teacher-esque reassurance that they were all happy friends. Instead, Yui was greeted by Rock shoving a beer rather sloppily in his face, and a slurred "s'huuz 'ee?" from his company.

Rock leaned back slowly, and tilted his eyes toward the stars in a thoughtful expression. "His name's Yui, he runs th' new farm." He brought his head back up and smiled straight at Yui. "Doncha?"

Rock's increasingly relaxed expression only made Yui more tense, and without thinking he brought the hand with the beer he had been given up to his mouth and began sipping rather nervously, completely numb to the taste.

Those around them, just now registering that their question had been answered, nodded blankly and turned back to their drinks. One begun inanely singing to an instrumental dance tune.

Sufficiently ignored, Yui moved quietly to the edge of the group, and plunked down on the sand. Still nervous, he glanced up at Rock several times, and tried his best to mimic the relaxed pose. In the end, he only managed to sip more rapidly at his drink, and before he knew it the bottle had become lighter and there was nothing left.

Like a pebble thrown at the back of his head, a rather troublesome thought reminded Yui in that instant that he had to wake up early the next morning, and he couldn't be out much longer. But just as he rose to tell Rock he must be leaving, he conveniently passed out and stumbled rather ungracefully right back into the sand he had been snoozing in just a few hours earlier.

Rock, whom alcohol never much phased, was utterly dumbfounded by the idea that Yui could possibly be tired after such a long nap just this evening, but remained concerned enough to excuse himself, and drag the utterly stoned corpse of Yui back to the latter's house. However he was not about to break in, nor was he obliged to leave the poor, rather defenseless looking boy out alone on the porch.

And thus he sighed, leaned rather awkwardly against the splintered wooden door of Yui's poorly financed one-roomer, and, carefree as always, he fell right to sleep.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

**chapter 4 owari**

**end notes:** Oh my, it seems I've gotten Yui drunk :O! What suspenseful plot-twist will occur? Even I don't know! Next up is Abbess, and the 6th might be Dralora as she's offered to help out again o-o?

EDIT: I hope the last sentence is slightly clearer? It was pointed out that the grammar was quite muddled, and in need of fixing. So, eager to please as always, I inserted one extra word XD; Hope it's understandable now (or a degree or so more anyways).


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: ** I know this is long over-due, but uh… it's a little difficult to write a fanfic for a game you haven't played in years. Next chapter is Chig's again, so the pressure's off me (though it's obvious I didn't feel any, given how long it took me to put THIS out).

If you're still reading this, I have to seriously applaud you. I also apologize for the sudden jumps in writing quality and style (although perhaps that's a good thing).

**------------------------**

Yui woke from dreams of angry cows and prickly leaves to what felt like a herd of bison stampeding on his head, and a goat sprawled over his body. Had he been in any state to think (which he was not), he might have thought of a better simile, but nevertheless, he came to consciousness and discovered that his head was in massive pain, and there was indeed something -- or rather, someone -- laying on top of him.

Oddly enough, his first thought was not about why Rock's head was comfortably snuggled on his chest, nor why his own hand was resting atop the boy's back.

No, Yui was rather preoccupied in his realization that it was no longer morning, and that his cow's bitter and loud mooing could be heard from the confines of the barn. That sound alone was enough to make him groan, but his limbs weren't quite up to moving, so he merely grunted and began trying to form coherent thoughts regarding his current situation.

One: his head hurt. After a brief moment of pained pondering, Yui concluded that it wasn't just the alcohol -- the hard wood was equally at fault. Something would have to be done about that as soon as possible, preferably by moving, because he suspected that covering his porch in carpet wouldn't be wise.

Two: Rock was heavy. Well, heavier than he looked, at any rate. He was far from being a boulder, but his weight was nevertheless unpleasant.

After clearing his mind, Yui attempted shifting slightly, in hopes of wiggling out from under the body draped on his. No such luck was to be had-- Rock sleepily nuzzled Yui's ribs, and made a muffled noise. The brown-haired boy paused in his endeavor to escape, and heaved a quiet sigh.

More morning passed rather slowly; Yui lay on the planks of wood that made up his rather small porch. Then, finally, in a very impressive effort, he managed to sit up. The sudden motion just happened -- as these things always do -- to cause Rock's head to fall into the farmer boy's lap, where it sleepily buried itself deeper, as if Yui was a precious goose-down pillow.

It took less than a second for Yui to register the action, and proceed to flush in an anxious sort of way, not quite sure of what to make of Rock's slumbering movements. As he was contemplating this, hangover clouding his already-muddled thoughts, the blond boy's eyes began to slowly open, and a glimmer of awareness made its way into the otherwise-dozy brown eyes.

The awkwardness of the situation took a sharp turn upwards as Rock became aware of where his head was placed. However, to Yui's uncomfortable surprise, Rock's head moved not. A few seconds silently passed, and Yui finally mustered the concentration to mumble:

"Er, Rock...?"

The boy in question still did not remove his head from Yui's lap, but merely moved his eyes upward. He looked at the farmer, as if considering his appearance.

"Yeah?"

"...Um... your head..."

"..."

Rock contemplated the boy's silent plea. Then he ignored it. Admittedly, the position was a bit strange even for him, but he had woken from such a fuzzy and soft dream that he really didn't feel like moving. After this brief contemplative thought, the boy decided that he had been awake long enough, and promptly fell back asleep.

Yui didn't immediately realize that the boy-whose-head-was-on-his-lap had fallen asleep, even though he had obviously closed his eyes, and continued waiting for a response. However, when light snores began disturbing the midday silence, Yui finally decided that it was, indeed, time to get up and get moving.

Leaving the sleeping boy on the porch -- after a careful maneuver from under him -- Yui stretched, yawned a final time, and began his morning duties.

Most importantly, he went off to feed Maybelle, who snorted at him as he entered, and made a point of stepping on his feet as often as possible while he dumped hay into her trough. His plants were far nicer, being stationary, thoughtless beings, and generally incapable of punishing him for being late: the tomatoes were ripening nicely, and overall, Yui concluded, his farm was improving. (Even if the orange tree seemed to be leering at him—but he dismissed that on his fuzzy state of mind.)

Several hours had passed since he left Rock on his porch, and he now returned, only to find the boy still sleeping. Pausing to observe the boy's slumped body, Yui decided that leaving him on the porch any longer would be heartless. After opening the door and giving his single-room shack a glance to make sure nothing had changed, Yui grabbed Rock under his arms, and dragged him inside, amazed that the boy didn't wake even when moved. With a great deal of effort, Yui even managed to lift the boy onto his humble bed.

Heaving a great big sigh, Yui considered his next course of action. His chores were done for the moment, and he could rest until evening. Perhaps he'd make something to eat -- he _was_ feeling a bit peckish... On the other hand, he wasn't hungry enough to bother risking injuries for mere food. It would be nice to visit the villagers, but Rock... it wouldn't be right to leave a guest alone, right? Even if the guest was sleeping.

Yui glanced back at his kitchen. He would attempt something, he decided. Maybe the cooking lessons had worked after all!

**------------------------**

When Rock woke up and found himself on an unfamiliar bed, there wasn't even a smidgen of panic. But when he smelled the foul stench of burnt tomatoes, he was spurred into action: leaping from the bed, Rock ran over to the other side of the house in a rush of unprecedented awareness and turned down the heat on the stove, simultaneously picking up the pot of blackened tomatoes and rushing them to the sink, where he doused them in water. Yui stood to one side, hands awkwardly paused midair.

Rock sighed. "Go sit."

Yui sat, ever obedient. "Sorry," he offered. "You were sleeping, and I was hungry..."

The blond was silent, moving around the meager kitchen with an ease Yui thought he would never be able to achieve himself. Burbling pots of sauce broke the tension, near-silence spanning the small house for the short duration of time taken by Rock's cooking. After Yui scurried to a hidden cabinet to retrieve a few pity-inspiring plates, Rock emptied the contents of the pots-- spaghetti with tomato sauce--and they sat down at the tiny wooden table.

"It's good," Yui said. The silence was starting to eat at him like a termite at wood, and moments from that morning were starting to squirm their ways back into his mind, leaving rather unpleasant and slimy trails. Rock kept staring at his food, though his appetite seemed unchanged. "Rock...?"

The boy looked up, confused. "Huh?"

"Ah, nothing!"

There was yet another span of silence, this time less like a termite, and more like a beaver. Chewing in very large chunks. Very quickly.

"Sorry."

This time it was Yui's turn to look confused.

"You carried me to the bed, right?" Rock grinned at him and Yui felt his heart melt a little, though it was definitely from relief, not from anything else. Definitely. "I must've been kinda heavy, so sorry."

"Ah, it was fine, no problem."

They smiled at each other, and then continued eating in what should have been a friendly, warm atmosphere. But something was definitely off, Yui thought-- especially because he didn't really remember what had happened last night, and Rock was being a little too quiet. Should he say something? Should he wait? Shou--

"So don't really drink, huh." The interruption was an amused one: Yui glanced up from his plate of spaghetti to see Rock smiling strangely. "S'ok, yanno, though you're missing out."

"A-ah..." Right. Party. Drinking. Yui recalled the head-pounding morning and felt a wave of displeasure course through him. "Sorry, you must have been bored."

Rock shook his head. "Nah, I liked it," the boy said, and though Yui wondered what he could have possibly liked about last night, he didn't voice his doubts any further. The awkwardness still hung in the air, so tangible that it might have even been solid: Rock must have felt it, because he stood up abruptly. There was no moment for Yui to stand up with him, or even respond; the blond boy left with a short and cheerful farewell, leaving behind only an image of sleep-mussed hair and a lone dirty plate.

Yui really didn't know what to think.


End file.
